“Leave? I’m trying to get up there.” I’m talking to silence, and when I look at the screen, I see a picture of the Rockefeller Christmas tree staring back at me.
I cross my arms and toss a superior look at the man cutting into the limited time I’ve got left with Beau. As soon as I hang up, the man tries to steer me to the door. I evade him and Beau comes down as we pantomime a bullfight. Where I’m the bull and without all the horrific animal abuse.
I stop when I see him, relieved that he’s here before the overly eager hotel employee could call the cops and this got significantly less funny. And then on the heels of the relief, happiness grows inside me, sweeping away all the sadness I was feeling since he left earlier. An hour ago, I thought I’d never see him again and I was surprised by how much that affected me. But here he is, shirtless under a half-zipped jacket on top of sweatpants.
He comes directly to me, ignoring the concierge doing aBenny Hillskit in the lobby. He wraps his hands around each side of my neck and his thumbs stroke my cheek, making me forget how hard it was to get to him, and what my face must look like. He begins to lower his mouth when we get interrupted by my most recent mortal enemy.
This concierge can now join Heather Wilson from fourth grade on my list of horrible people whose misfortune would make me smile. Heather got on the list for making fun of me by asking “What’s that?” and pointing to my newly formed boobs. Boobs that came before everyone else’s and were a sideshow until everyone else started developing, significantly later.
Enjoy the terrible company, random man. I turn and give him a glare, so he knows exactly how I feel about him.
The throat clearing makes Beau also lift his head and turn it to the hotel employee. “What’s the problem here?” I’m glad his cold voice isn’t directed at me.
“Only hotel guests can use the elevators.” The man is a lot less confident now that Beau’s here.
“Well, I’m here now.” He flashes his key card in front of the man and turns me to the elevators. “And she’s coming up with me.”
Beau drags me past the now apologizing employee. I’m taking a lot of petty glee that he’s standing there sputtering while I go upstairs.
Confirming that elevatorsdo somethingfor the man, his hands wander up and down my back, caressing over my curves fast. Desperately. A physical indicator that maybe he was just as upset by the idea that we wouldn’t be seeing each other anymore.
It’s a nice ego boost.
“You’re coming home with me?” Beau asks, wandering arms pulling me in close so he can whisper.
“Yes.”
“What made you change your mind?”
I pause, worried that if I say the words out loud, they’ll make me sound desperate.
Sure, I am. But he doesn’t need toknowthat.
“When’s the flight?” I hold my breath while I wait to see if he’s going to press the issue or let me have as long as I need to lie to him and myself that everything is still casual. Besides the mounting evidence to the contrary.
His eyes narrow slightly, the only sign that he knows what I’m doing. “Not till the afternoon.”
I let out the breath I was holding when I realize he’s going to be a gentleman about it.
“So, we have time.” I extend my neck up to offer my lips for a kiss.
“Plenty of time.” Beau keeps steady eye contact while he makes the promise. I must be reading too much into it, but I think he’s talking about more than just the holidays. But he can’t be, since we all know this is ending.
I close the remaining distance for a kiss, ignoring my reaction to what Beau might be offering.
Maybe elevators do something for me, too.
I wake up before Beau does, snuggling deeper into him to hide from the day and reality. Beau, not wanting to cooperate in Mission: Avoidance, stirs and drops a kiss on the top of my head, then immediately shifts to give me another one on my lips.
“Mornin’, Baby Girl.”
“Morning, Old MacDonald.”
He quirks his lips. “You ready for the farm?” His voice is still rough from sleep and his eyes are fighting to stay awake. I wish he’d give in and we could go back to enjoying a quiet cuddle.
“No.” Straight to the point. I’m not that good an actress, even if I wanted to lie.
Beau barks out a laugh, eyes wide open now. He gives me a squeeze with the arms already around me. “I’m here to protect you.”
